• Better quality control: Real-time monitoring and adjustments via process analytic technologies( PATs) ensure consistent product quality
In the realm of APIs, these advantages often enable reduced production costs, accelerated timeto-market and enhanced compliance with regulatory and quality standards.
Flow reactor systems are at the heart of continuous manufacturing. They facilitate chemical reactions in a controlled and continuous flow and lend themselves well to process intensification, a methodology aimed at making processes more compact, sustainable, and efficient. By combining mixing, heat exchange and reaction as well as separation within a single closed system, they can achieve significant reductions in energy consumption, waste generation, and process complexity.
PI & flow
Process intensification( PI) is a cornerstone in the development of chemicals produced using continuous flow. This involves redesigning traditional processes to enhance performance while reducing footprint and environmental impact. The principles of process PI align seamlessly with continuous manufacturing, as both aim to deliver higher efficiency and sustainability. Key developments in PI for flow systems include:
• Micro- and meso-channel reactors, which provide exceptional control over chemical
G4 reactors at Laurus Labs in India
mixings, reactions and thermal management
• Integrated processing, combining multiple stages of production, such as reaction, separation and purification, into a single continuous stream
• Advanced monitoring: Real-time analytical tools that enable or allow for real-time adjustments to process conditions for optimum performance
These innovations and their integration efforts have not only expanded the applicability of flow processing but have also enabled the production of complex key starting materials( KSMs), APIs, agrochemicals and advanced material chemicals that have previously been considered challenging in continuous set-ups.
Role of AFR technologies
Corning’ s AFR and flow systems are inherently safer equipment. They hold a small amount of chemicals, which helps reduce the impact of accidents. This is particularly important when manufacturing plants are located in highly populated residential areas.
AFR technologies’ dosing lines feature pumps, tubes and flow meters to move fluid in a tightly masscontrolled, stable, flowing stream. The micro- and meso-channels in the fluidic modules reduce the volumetric hold-up of reactants in the reactor, which helps enable strong, exothermic, or cryogenic chemical reactions with higher precision.
As a result, chemical manufacturers can perform cryogenic chemical synthesis at a relatively high
Figure 2- Continuous flow nitration for R-NO3
40 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981